I don't think so, a minutes celebration for a convicted drug cheat who's left his kids in the lurch because he couldn't face up to what he'd done? That's a step too far IMO.

I think a minutes silence is pushing it personally, but I will be honouring it regardless, as should everyone else in the ground.

Convicted ? I don't remember it going to court.

Well it was enough for him to be banned for two years.

Its an interesting point. I share the feelings that the minority who can spoil any such mark of respect will be all the more likely to do it for this one.

I'm also struggling slightly with the concept of a this mark of respect given the circumstances surrounding his death (not the player in question). I certainly can't ever remeber a minute's silence for someone who'd taken their own life happening before, can you? but I guess its not a common occurence.

Now, I've never had any personal experience with mental health issues, but I did have a long term girlfriend who was a physcologist, so I do know from her tales how desperately things like depression can affect some people.

The shock of Newton's death got us all, I reckon. This man whom we either cheered on or booed like a pantomime villain, a character from the game we love - what state of mind could have caused him to do something so extreme!?
I'm not questioning the tradjedy of his death, but I am, as callous as it may seem, questioning his right to a minute's silence at the grand final.

Stephen Prescott battles everyday with a terminal disease he contracted independant of his actions. Gary Purdam was going about his daily work when his life was stolen. Last year, when my dad died from prostate cancer, ormskirk RU had a minute's silence before their next game (he was a long term supporter and main club sponsor). All these above are people that had no choice about what happened to them, unlike (arguabley) Terry Newton. Certianly in the case of Steve and my dad, guy's who never lied down in the face of their affliction.

The flip side to that is that (actual) depression is a disease, and essentially one that killed a young father. Some people (i guess me included) don't automatically realise, but mental health [iis[/i part of your health and incases like this or, for example, extreme eating disorders, can ruin and even claim lives. The unsypathetic veiw that perhaps the victim could have done something about it perhaps isn't always correct. Had he not been banned for substance abuse, he may have still suffered the same fate - we don't actually know.

For me, something doesn't sit right with a minutes silence at Old Trafford for terry newton. That said, he [iwas[/i one of ours and we've lost him; we should repsect him as one of ours. I wouldn't have argued about a minutes silence at Knowsley road if the event had occurred earlier in the season, so why should I worry about it being this saturday?

A lot of fair comments in there but had this been any other player e.g. Shaun Edwards, we probably wouldn't be arguing over the minute silence. His method of departing shouldn't really have an influence over whether there's a minute silence or not.

Until youve experienced clinical depression stfu and keep your opinions to yourself.

I agree with a lot of what your saying offside, unfortunately I have personal experience of being part of a family left behind from a suicide. Depression can hit people harder than you think and especially when they just seem a bit down, in my case I knew he was having a bit of a hard time with his girlfriend but never in a million years would we have guessed what he would do and it looks the same for Newtons family. If people don't want to respect Newton at least think of his family, they have a very rough few months/years to come and will need all the support possible.

I can see where you are coming from but I do think the comparisons you are making are slightly unfair. I have so much respect for Steve Prescott and how well he has coped with everything, he must have so much mental strength to do what he is - I doubt many people would have the strength to do what he is. Gary Purdham lost his life in truly tragic circumstances. All of them, and Terry Newton deserve the tributes they have got. If it had occured at any other point of the season the silence would have been at the matches for the teams he played with, we are now at the end of the season with only one game left so to me it seems right it happens then.

Your paragraph about mental illness is spot on. Not everyone has the same mental strength to cope with things, people all have different limits as to what they can take both physically and mentally. The problem is there is still in so many cases mental health is a taboo subject and one people to a degree are scared of.

I guess in cases like this it is very much an example the saying "walk a mile in someones shoes before criticising them" (I'm not saying you are criticising, just making a point we don't know what he was going through)

You are assuming Newton was suffering from clinical depression. Just because someone commits suicide does not mean they are suffering from a serious mental illness.

Was Newton? I've not seen his medical history reported anywhere? Until it has, why don't you stfu yourself?

Plenty of people who cannot handle the situations they find themselves in commit suicide, not all suffer from clinical depression. Anyway, my main gripe is that he was a drugs cheat, if he wasn't I'd have no problems with a minutes silence.

Newton had been on Anti-depressants since his sister died according to some reports.

If you get a chance, please read his book. I borrowed it from a friend and it was very good read.

Like a lot of people he made mistakes in his life, sadly it looks as though when he lost his career (through his own fault) and the other problems occurred he couldn't handle it.

I hope everyone respects the minutes silence, if not for Newton, then for his parents (god only knows how they must be feeling) wife and children.

I thought Paul Wellens spoke excellently about Newton, when interviewed. If he can show that dignified response then I hope all the fans can do so for one minute on Saturday.

It's the kids I feel for the most, they can't be that old given his age and must be having major difficulty processing the whole situation. Whatever peoples personal feelings about him, his only relationship with most of us was that he was an RL player that played for an opposing team and I hope people aren't idiotic enough to boo over something that happened 5 years ago

Im assuming nothing. He was battling depression. I know what its like for people who suffer depression so im not going to start throwing cr@p at him saying things like "hes left his children behind, hes a chicken etc etc"